Foresthill, Foresthill, CA

Foresthill is a ridge-top town in Placer County, and its main street feels like a stop on a long road. Main Street runs along the crest with a handful of storefronts, and over on Harrison Street the Foresthill Divide Museum keeps the town's history on a limited schedule. Homes are mostly single-story ranch houses and cabins on wooded lots, with a few older buildings in the center. Pine, cedar and oak crowd the yards, a lot of properties have room for a workshop or a few outbuildings, and the streets tend to be quiet and winding. For a daytime meal, The Happy Mouth Bakery & Cafe on Main Street is the popular stop, closing around two in the afternoon, with sandwiches and its flavored Twisted Sodas. Foresthill Farms & Bakery serves breakfast, lunch and, on Friday and Saturday, dinner. Worton's Market is the local grocery and the stop for everyday basics. Outdoors is the reason many people end up here. Foresthill Overlook looks out over the canyon, Leroy E. Botts Memorial Park and the dog park handle everyday time outside, and the Western States Trail through Auburn State Recreation Area runs right out of town. The Foresthill Divide Loop is a popular route for hiking, biking and trail running, and the Western States 100 each June brings the whole town out to cheer. Getting around means driving. Foresthill Road is the main route, curving down off the ridge toward Auburn, and it is the way most people reach work and larger shopping. A full grocery run, a doctor visit or a hardware order usually becomes a trip down the hill. That distance is the plain cost. Evenings are quiet, kitchens close early, and snow is possible in winter. In return, a morning walk can end at a canyon overlook, and what you hear is the forest.